In a year that saw the U.S. women win Olympic gold and lift the U-20 World Cup, the U.S. U-17 girls suffered a first-round exit at the U-17
World Cup in Azerbaijan last month, despite going undefeated and conceding only one goal. The two teams that edged the USA on goal difference, France and North Korea, reached the final. We spoke with
U.S. U-17 coach Albertin Montoya, the director of Northern California youth club MVLA who took the U-17 helm after guiding FC Gold Pride to the 2010 WPS title.

SOCCER AMERICA: What's it like getting eliminated from a World Cup without losing a game?

ALBERTIN MONTOYA: We knew going into it we were in the Group of
Death – three out of probably the best five teams in the world in the same group. I’d seen both those teams play several times over the past year and I felt North Korea, France and Japan
were the three best teams I had seen. So when we got France and North Korea in our group, we knew we had our hands full.

Unfortunately, we didn't play all that well against France [a 0-0
tie in the group opener]. Then against Gambia we didn’t put enough goals in [a 6-0 win]. Against North Korea we had a 1-1 score against one of the best teams in the world.

But
France was the game I thought we had to win. … Three teams tied with five points. Only conceded one goal and we don’t go through. But that’s how it goes.

[Editor’s Note: North Korea and France beat Gambia 11-0 and 10-2, respectively, for a superior goal difference over the USA.]

SA: How’d the girls take it?

ALBERTIN MONTOYA: They took it pretty hard. It’s a group that had come together over this last year and a half. They became a family. They cared so much
about each other.

They put a lot of time and energy trying to be the best team in the world. But knowing it was the last time for them playing together as a group -- because we had been
through a lot and had great memories -- that hurt probably just as much as not advancing.

SA: The U.S. U-17 girls don’t seem to have much luck. They failed (under coach
Kazbek Tambi) to qualify for the 2010 World Cup after losing to Canada on penalty kicks …

ALBERTIN MONTOYA: They were very unlucky because that was also
an exceptional team. You know how the game can be so cruel. They were the best team in Concacaf and Canada took them into PKs. The U.S. did not qualify because only two teams from the region advanced
because Trinidad & Tobago was hosting the World Cup and had the third berth.

[EDITOR'S NOTE: At the inaugural U-17 World Cup in 2008, also under Tambi, the USA lost in the final,
2-1, to North Korea in overtime.]

SA: So you think one shouldn’t read too much into the results of these last two U-17 teams?

ALBERTIN
MONTOYA: I really don’t. The U-17s that didn’t qualify for the 2010 World Cup scored 38 goals-for and zero-against, and they don’t go to the World Cup because of PKs.

And with us, we did well at Concacaf, finished first, and at the World Cup drew against the two teams that are in the final. It could have easily been us ...

I will say that Japan
and North Korea have separated themselves at the youth level. The Asian teams pretty much have residency on the girls’ side. They go to school together. They train six, seven days a week. They
know each other so well. France is starting to do that, where they get together two or three teams a month, often training several weeks together.

SA: Compared to your team
…

ALBERTIN MONTOYA: For the U.S. we have a training camp for a week every other month or so and the players come are in from different environments and
different club cultures and different soccer styles.

When we come together – that’s been the challenge for me as a national team coach – much different than with the
club, when you can mold a team to play a certain way because you have them year-round.

With the national team, these players may not even play the same position they’re playing with
national team that they do with their clubs.

The first few days of camp are always kinda getting them back into right mind frame and mentality and adjusting to our system and the way we
want to play. And by the time they’re playing well, it’s time to go back home.

North Korea, Japan and France put a lot of effort into keeping their teams together for long
periods of times and it’s paying dividends, even at the older age groups. Great teams win World Cups, not always great players.

SA: How do you think your bosses judge you
– whether you win or how many players move on to the full national team?

ALBERTIN MONTOYA: I don’t know. Time will tell. When I took on the position
they told me they wanted me to help develop these players and play a style of soccer that my [club] youth players play, but then you always have the pressure of getting results and winning.

SA: What did you think about the American players in general at this age group? Do you feel confident you saw all the players you needed to see to find the best group you could take?

ALBERTIN MONTOYA: I feel comfortable that we had a pretty good grasp on the best players in the country. But what I will go back to – and what we keep
saying as a country for both our men and women – that we could be better technically. And tactically as well, but technically we’re still not comfortable enough with the ball.

We talk about playing a certain way. We want to possess the ball much more. But in order to do that we have to have players who just love being with the ball at their feet.

The
challenging part about the national team is you have to get the right mixture of athletes and players who can play, and kind of put it together, and at the same time developing the players.

When you see some of these other countries and how good they are with the ball. For example, that North Korea team, every single one of them handled the ball like a No. 10.

SA:
What was it like going from club coaching to national team coach?

ALBERTIN MONTOYA: As a club coach, looking from the outside in, I would watch our national
teams and think, gosh, why aren’t we playing a certain way? Why can’t we player better than that?

Now that I’ve been there – I kind of put it back on us club
coaches, which is we need to do a better job developing these players technically so when they do go to the national team stage we can play the way we talk about we want to play. But we need the
players to be able to do that.

I even fell into the trap where, maybe we don’t have enough of those type of players. So we need the athletes who can compete a certain way to help
you get the results.

Ideally, you have the athletes with the technical skill. We’ve got to get our players better all-around with the ball. It goes back to doing that from 8 to 12
years old and building that foundation.

We talk about it all the time, all around the country, we have just got to get it done. Get coaches on board. We’ve got to get top coaches at
the younger age groups. Unfortunately that’s just not happening enough.

Culturally and I am speaking for myself and a lot of parents that I know, are unwilling to give our children to a system. I am supposed to hand over my child to an Academy, and see my child 30-50% of the year? A lot of these countries are communist and or socialist, they do not have a problem turning their child over to the machine. Youth development is too vast to cover in a short response, but we need to do a better job of tying the National elite down to my 00 comp. team. Culturally our kids do not watch soccer. The pro's need to come down and make contact with youth clubs.

william newsom

commented on: October 11, 2012 at 1:56 p.m.

How do you get "top coaches" who want to get paid "top dollar" down to a youth team U9-U11??
Once a club develops those players how can a club retain those players so the club benefits (instead of losing them to ECNL, Development Academy or MLS - Academy or some big dominate club) as the players climb the national stage? If the club is never recognized for developing players how does it survive?
For example if club A develops "Messi" and then at age 13-15 the other neighboring clubs "B" take that player (recruiting) how does club "A" get more players to train if everyone thinks club "B" did all the work.

mike renshaw

commented on: October 14, 2012 at 4:52 p.m.

If the club coaches would spend more time using the ball and less time running laps then our kids would have the technical ability they apparently lack.....and John has it right...our kids just do not watch any/enough top class soccer and their parents interest in the game starts and ends with little Sophies' involvement.

uffe gustafsson

commented on: October 15, 2012 at 8:11 p.m.

As a referee and parent the one thing that is very apparent to me is the focus on technical skills are taking a back seat to load up your team with big strong girls.
because winning is the only goal for the youth coaches, they want to show the parents how good they are and not focusing on the development of the girls. so the smaller but better foot skills are not picked or on the bench. its all about winning at the young age teams. remember they all will catch up in size at some point and the girls that are really better players have not got the playing time or have to go to a B team to get playing time.
It's really a conundrum for our leagues to deal with but with all the darn ratings that the teams are rated at I can see why coaches are win at all costs to move up in the ratings and be a top rated team. it all comes down to get the most money for the club and when you are a top club you can charge alot and families will flock to your club and pay high fees.